Betrayal?
by AntisocialAnimeFreak
Summary: Apollo visits Phoenix one night and does something very unexpected. Has Apollo betrayed Phoenix?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first ever fanfiction, so basically, welcome to the dark side of my mind that comes up with terrible stories. Reviews would be appreciated because I need some sort of motivation if you want me to continue the story. **

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It was around 9:30pm, the sky had pitch black with only a few stars shiny though the cloudy night, and Phoenix Wright was slouched on the sofa watching old episodes of the Steel Samurai. As he turned the TV off, he heard someone at the door. Wondering who could be visiting the office so late, he opened the door. Standing before him was Apollo Justice wearing a long red coat and hiding his hands in the large pockets of the coat. Phoenix looked him in the eye and knew there was definitely something wrong. Apollo just stood there glaring at Phoenix. It was like he wasn't the Apollo Phoenix knew and loved, there was something different about him.

"Apollo!" Phoenix exclaimed, "You never come over this late, what's wrong?"

There was silence, as Apollo just stood there not saying anything. Phoenix grew ever more concerned.

"Apollo, if there is something wrong, please tell me, you must have come over for a reason" Phoenix continued, hoping that the young attorney would reply.  
After more silence, Phoenix said "you can't stand there all night, come inside, you can tell me what it is when you're ready to talk," and pulled the man dressed in red inside and shut the door.

Sitting on the sofa, Phoenix gestured for Apollo to come and sit with him. However, Apollo just stood there, not moving from where Phoenix had pulled him into the room.

"Please say something, Apollo," Phoenix begged, looking up at Apollo, "You're making me worry".

Apollo was no longer glaring at Phoenix, but sorrowfully staring at the floor. After moments of more silence Phoenix decided to stand up and embrace Apollo in a hug, as he could not think of a better way to comfort him.

"You can trust me, Apollo, so please tell me what's wrong," Phoenix whispered with Apollo still in his arms.

Apollo, raised his head to look Phoenix in the eyes, but after a few seconds, he turned his face away. Phoenix could feel Apollo taking his hands out of his pockets and thought that Apollo was about to contribute to the hug and finally tell him what's bothering him. Instead, a sharp pain entered Phoenix's side. He looked down to see a knife in his side, and holding the knife in red gloved hands was Apollo. Phoenix could feel the blood seeping through his clothes, staining them red. Apollo's favourite colour.

Apollo let go of the knife, leaving it wedged into Phoenix's body, and stepped back. Phoenix staggered backwards in pain and stared at Apollo in confusion. He couldn't understand why Apollo would do this to him. Phoenix was losing blood and became light-headed. He called out to Apollo with a weak voice and saw a blurry image of the man before him pulling up the red hood from the back of his coat over his head, turning around, and leaving the room. Phoenix swore he heard the words "I'm sorry" being whispered right before the door closed, and then he fell backwards, passed out on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, I managed to pull together another chapter. Thank you to those who reviewed, it really motivated me to keep writing :)**

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Trucy woke to the sound of something hitting her bedroom window. 'What was that?' she wondered as she slowly sat up in bed. Letting out a big yawn, Trucy checked the clock by her bed. It read '21:48'. 'I've only been sleeping for about an hour, I wonder if Daddy's still up' she thought to herself as she got out of bed. 'It's rather quiet, maybe he fell asleep on the sofa again', and with that thought, Trucy went to check on Phoenix.

"Daddy!" Trucy screamed looking down in horror at the sight before her. The last thing she expected to find was Phoenix lying on the floor with a knife in his side. She ran through a shallow pool of blood towards Phoenix and checked for his pulse. Thankfully, Phoenix was still alive. Trucy ran to the phone and called for an ambulance and the police. Once she finished the call, not knowing what else to do, she returned to Phoenix's side crying and waiting for help to arrive.

The few minutes Trucy spent waiting for the ambulance to arrive seemed so long. She released a long sigh of relief as she heard the sirens approaching. Phoenix was quickly rushed to hospital. He had lost a lot of blood, but he was going to be okay.

With this good news, Trucy could finally relax knowing that Phoenix was safe. However, she was deeply troubled by how someone managed to stab Phoenix in their own home. 'Why would anyone want to stab Daddy anyway?' Trucy kept thinking to herself. After a while, Trucy finally gave up thinking about, and decided to call Apollo. On her way to find a phone she could use to call him, she bumped into police detective Ema Skye.

"There you are. I've been looking for you," Ema said to Trucy.

"You have?" Trucy asked, "Why?"

"Well, since Phoenix is resting right now, and you were the only other person at the scene, I'm going to have to ask you about what happened. Also, I bought you a change of clothes, you got quite a bit of blood on you" Ema replied.

Trucy thanked Ema for the clothes and went to the toilets to change. Until she looked in the mirror, she had been too worried about Phoenix to realise that she even had any blood on her. After getting dressed, she headed back to Ema to answer her questions about what had happened.

Since Trucy was sleeping when the attack took place; there was not much she could say. "I woke up and decided to check on Daddy, but when I found him, he was lying on the floor, covered in blood, with a knife driven into his side," Trucy answered, "I have no idea what actually happened".

"I guess we'll just have to wait until Phoenix wakes up so he can explain it all to us."

"Yeah... Oh, by the way, do you have a phone I could use to call Apollo?" Trucy asked, not wanting to miss the opportunity to call him.

"Sure," Ema replied, handing her phone to Trucy.

"Thanks," Trucy said while typing in Apollo's number.

She held the phone to her ear and waited for Apollo to answer, but he didn't. She tried once more, but got the same results, no answer. 'One more try' Trucy thought to herself as she called the number for a third time. Again, Apollo had failed to pick up the phone.

Trucy, feeling very disappointed that she could not inform Apollo of Phoenix's condition, handed the phone back to Ema and thanked her once more for letting her use it.

"Don't worry, Trucy, it's late, so he's probably sleeping and can't hear his phone. You can always call him again tomorrow," Ema said in an effort to comfort Trucy.

"I'm sure Apollo would be so worried about Daddy that he wouldn't be able to get to sleep if I told him right now, but I'm definitely going to tell him in the morning," Trucy added while attempting to smile in order to convince Ema that she was fine.


	3. Chapter 3

Ema spent the whole night with Trucy, she had actually been assigned to watch over her, making sure she was not doing anything suspicious. Trucy may not have realised it herself, but until Phoenix could explain what happened, Trucy was the biggest suspect.

Other than her being the only one there, there was no evidence that pointed to Trucy being Phoenix's attacker. Trucy being his attacker just wouldn't add up. She had nothing to gain and everything to lose. The fact that Phoenix was alive was further proof of her innocence as it would have been easy enough to kill him if she could injure him that badly, yet she had called for an ambulance and the police.

On the condition that Ema was to watch over Trucy, Ema had managed to stop Trucy from being arrested straight away. However, with no other lead, if Phoenix could not name who it was, they'd have no choice but to arrest Trucy.

It was 10am and Phoenix still hadn't woken up. Remembering that Trucy wanted to tell Apollo, she handed Trucy her phone and suggested that she tries calling him again. Ema just stood there watching Trucy appear more and more disappointed and worried each time she recalled Apollo, who was, once again, not answering his phone. Ema counted that Trucy had called 7 times before being handed by the phone.

"I'm worried about Polly," Trucy said while holding back the tears in her eyes. "What if he was attacked like Daddy was? That would explain why he's not answering his phone."

"I'm sure Apollo's fine, he may just be busy, or maybe he left his phone on silent, but if you're really worried we can go to his apartment to check on him," Ema suggested.

"But what if Daddy wakes up while we're gone?" Trucy asked, "I don't want Daddy to be all alone when he wakes up. I want to stay by his side as much as I want to find out if Apollo's okay."

Ema could tell that Trucy was genuinely concerned for both Phoenix and Apollo. 'There is no way this girl could possibly try to murder her dad' Ema thought to herself. Not that Ema had ever doubted Trucy's innocence anyway.

"I'll call someone to check on Apollo for us then," Ema said as she pulled her phone out. She called a police officer and asked him to check on Apollo. The policeman on the other end of the phone probably wouldn't have agreed to if Ema hadn't made the situation sound much worse than it really was. "I have reason to believe he may be in danger or even possibly dead." Hearing this, how could the officer refuse? Trucy told him the address and Ema instructed him to call back as soon as he found out if Apollo was safe or not.

"You don't really think he could be dead, right?" Trucy asked, looking even more worried than before.

"Don't worry, I just said that because I needed a good reason to get him to search for Apollo," Ema replied with a calm smile, "I doubt he's even injured. There are many reasons why he wouldn't answer the phone".

Trucy's worried look didn't fade. 'I really wish I could comfort her better' Ema kept thinking to herself.

An awkward silence fell upon them. Neither Ema nor Trucy knew what to say to the other. After about 10 minutes of sitting in silence, waiting for Phoenix to wake up, Trucy let out a long sigh.

"Daddy sleeps too much," Trucy complained while staring at Phoenix.

"Well, hopefully he'll wake up soon," Ema said, also letting out a sigh. "Want to play eye spy to pass the time?"

"Might as well," Trucy replied, "I'll go first. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... C"

Ema looked at the room. "Curtains?" Ema guessed

"Nope."

"Chair?"

"Yes! Your turn."

The game of eye spy lasted around 10 minutes. They were sure they had covered everything in the room and were becoming bored of the game. Just as Trucy was about to announce how boring the game was, Ema's phone rang.

"Ah, about time!" Ema said just before answering the call. She listened to what the policeman had to say, and Trucy could tell by the smile on Ema's face that it was good news. Ema explained to Trucy that Apollo wasn't at home, but one of his neighbours said they saw him going out at about 9:30am. They came to the conclusion that Apollo must have forgotten his phone when he left.

Trucy was still upset that she'd been unable to tell Apollo about Phoenix, but she was glad to hear that nothing bad had happened to Apollo.

It was 5:15pm, and Trucy and Ema were still both waiting for Phoenix to wake up. Suddenly they heard the groan and yawn of a Phoenix who had just woken up.

"Daddy! You're awake! Are you feeling okay?" Trucy sprung up with happiness.

"Trucy... I'm fine," Phoenix responded. 'Fine', being the first word that popped into his head, was a poor choice of words as it completely reminded him of the young attorney who often overused the word. Phoenix frowned as the event of the previous night played through his head. As much as he didn't want to believe that it was Apollo who stabbed him, he knew it was true.

"Well, I'm glad you're finally awake," Trucy gave a comforting smile that made Phoenix feel slightly more at ease.

Ema decided to give Trucy some time with her dad before bombarding him with questions. She left the room and went to the loo. She knew she wasn't supposed to leave Trucy alone with Phoenix, but she knew it was nonsense to even think that Trucy would hurt Phoenix.

Knowing that Ema probably had plenty of questions for Phoenix, Trucy tried to think of something to talk about rather than the attack.

"Hey, Daddy, I've been trying to contact Polly, but he's not answering his phone, I should really let him know what happened to you, he'll be ever so worried," Trucy noticed a change in Phoenix's expression as she mentioned Apollo.

"Daddy, why do you suddenly look even more miserable?"

Phoenix didn't reply, and Trucy could tell there was something really wrong.

"Did something happen between you two?" Trucy questioned.

Phoenix looked hurt after hearing this question, as if he just took another knife to the side, and he looked like he could cry at any moment. Trucy became more and more worried.

"Daddy, please, tell me what's wrong," Trucy pleaded.

Hearing the worry in Trucy's voice, Phoenix couldn't hold back his tears any longer.


	4. Chapter 4

"I guess I should tell you," Phoenix said while wiping his tears and trying to stop himself from crying. Phoenix slowly sat up in the bed, changing position carefully to avoid reopening the wound.

"So, what happened?" Trucy asked, rubbing Phoenix's shoulder to comfort him.

"Apollo came over... and he didn't seem like himself... He wouldn't say what was wrong... he didn't say anything... " Phoenix half answered the question.

"Apollo was involved?!" Trucy asked in surprise. "So... are you saying...?"

"Yes, it was Apollo who stabbed me," Phoenix answered.

Trucy was completely shocked. "Bu... but... why? Why would Polly want to hurt you, Daddy? Polly has always looked up to you and respected you; he would never want you dead."

"I believe that too, Trucy, but that doesn't change the fact that it was him who stabbed me."

Tears were still pouring from Phoenix's eyes, and now Trucy was crying too.

Ema walked in on them both crying. "Hey, what happened?!" she asked, concerned that something really bad had happened during the few minutes she had left them alone.

"Um... it's nothing, just a... father-daughter moment." Phoenix answered as he tried to stop crying.

"So would now be a bad time to ask about your attacker?" Ema asked awkwardly, not quite believing their reason for crying.

Trucy began to cry harder. She rested her forehead against Phoenix's shoulder and Phoenix wrapped his arms around her. Phoenix comforted her saying that everything would be alright, and appeared to be whispering things so that Ema wouldn't hear. It took a whole 5 minutes before Trucy was able to calm down. Once the tears were gone, Ema demanded answers.

"Okay, you're going to have to explain what that was all about," Ema firmly demanded.

Phoenix scratched the back of his head, "Ah... well... Trucy had been so worried about me that she got all emotional and we both just needed a good cry for a while, sorry."

"I'm just going to get straight to the point, Wright, what happened yesterday evening when you were attacked?" Ema asked, not believing a word he said about the crying.

Phoenix didn't say anything at first. In court, back when he was a layer, he had always believed that finding the truth is what's important, but in this situation, Phoenix knew he didn't want the truth to be discovered. It went against what he believed in, but he just knew Apollo must have his reasons. He didn't want to send his friend to prison. 'Time for the ultimate bluff' Phoenix thought to himself.

"Wright, say something! The police need to know," Ema demanded, growing tired of waiting for Phoenix.

"I stabbed myself," he blurted out.

"What?!" Ema exclaimed in shock. "You... did that to yourself?!"

Ema took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. Thinking straight, that wouldn't make sense. Why would Phoenix want to kill himself? 'He's definitely lying, which could only mean he's covering for someone.' Ema told herself.

"Phoenix Wright, don't lie to me! I may not be a lawyer, but even I can prove, _with evidence_, that you couldn't have done this to yourself," Ema stated in confidence. "If you stabbed yourself, your fingerprints would have been on the knife, but there were no prints on the knife."

"Shit," Phoenix cursed quietly under his breath, knowing that he'd have to continue the bluff somehow if he wanted to protect Apollo. Phoenix could help feeling like a prosecutor trying to get himself found guilty, but he lacked experience in trying to get a guilty verdict, and couldn't come up with an excuse.

Phoenix sat in silence with a look of determination and concentration on his face. He was thinking extremely hard to come up with an excuse for the lack of fingerprints, but he couldn't think of anything. A man trying to kill himself would have no reason to hide his prints. He buried his face in his hands. There really is no escaping the truth.

"Maybe the fingerprints were wiped off?" Phoenix suggested, losing hope of protecting Apollo.

"I know you're lying, you would never try to kill yourself; you care too much about Trucy to leave her on her own," Ema explained, "Right now, Trucy is the only suspect. She was the only one who was with you as far as we know, and there were no signs of anyone else breaking in. If you can't tell us who stabbed you then she'll be arrested on suspicion of attempted murder."

"It wasn't Trucy who stabbed me, but I don't know who did," Phoenix said, hoping that would leave them with no clues to the real culprit whilst clearing Trucy of suspicion.

"You know that's not good enough. You're her father; of course you'd say it wasn't her to protect her," Ema stated, "You're obviously defending someone, and I'm sure it's not Trucy, so who?"

Phoenix didn't want to say it. He knew he couldn't escape the truth, but even after being stabbed, he valued his friendship with Apollo too much to bring himself to say it was him.

Trucy had been quietly standing leant against the wall listening to the conversation. When Phoenix didn't give an answer, she stepped in to reveal the truth her dad didn't want to face.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I know you don't want to say it, but it's best to come out with the truth," Trucy stated and then turned to face Ema. "The person who stabbed Daddy, the person he's defending with his lies... is Apollo. Daddy told me about it when you had gone to the loo."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I didn't write anything yesterday, but I corrected my terrible grammar from previous chapters and I've been working on chapters 5 and 6 all day today. This chapter's pretty short, but I'm hoping to make my next chapters longer.**

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"Apollo?" Ema asked, shocked to think Apollo would be capable of almost killing someone. "Well that would explain why you wouldn't say who it was, but why would Apollo do such a thing?"

"I don't know," Phoenix stated.

He room was silent for a while. It wasn't making any sense to anyone. Ema wanted to ask more about what happened, but after hearing that it was Apollo, the topic become more sensitive and she felt awkward about asking. Trucy eventually broke the silence.

"What if it was a doppelgänger?" Trucy suggested, and the others gave her a puzzled look. "Someone who looks exactly like Apollo must have attacked Daddy, because we all know Apollo would never do such a thing."

"I'm sorry, Trucy, but I'm sure it was Apollo, not a doppelgänger," Phoenix said.

"But how would you know?" Trucy asked. "Someone who looks exactly like Apollo must have attacked you, meaning that the real Apollo is actually innocent."

"Trucy, I don't want it to be Apollo either, but I know it was him, and there's nothing we can do about it, no matter what crazy story you come up with, in the end there is only the truth," Phoenix looked Trucy straight in the eye when he said this, making it clear to her that he was 100% certain it was Apollo, and coming up with unrealistic theories was futile.

"Is it possible that he was being forced to do it?" Ema suggested. "Maybe someone else wanted you dead, and got Apollo to try to kill you."

"But he didn't kill me. If he was going through with a plan like that, he'd either kill me, or he'd explain what was going on so we could find a way to get through it that meant nobody would get hurt," Phoenix answered. "Knowing Apollo, he'd choose the latter. Attacking me, but failing to kill me wouldn't make sense."

"I suppose," Ema said after giving it more thought, "But what if he did want to kill you, and thought you'd be found dead in the morning?"

"I'm certain he didn't want me dead" Phoenix stated with confidence.

"He stabbed you, what makes you think he didn't want you to die?" Trucy asked. She couldn't bring herself to believe Apollo would want to kill Phoenix, but she wanted to hear her father's reasoning.

"He looked very unhappy, like there was something bothering him," Phoenix looked very sorrowful when remembering how sad Apollo looked. "If he _really_ wanted me dead he would have just gotten straight to it with no hesitation, but he stood there for a while, as if he was conflicted with himself, unsure if he would be able to bring himself to stab me."

"I guess that makes sense," Trucy said as she and Ema were trying to get a better idea of the situation.

"That's not all though, more importantly if he wanted me dead, then he wouldn't have left the knife in me. There are much more efficient ways of killing someone."

"What do you mean?"

"When he stabbed me, the only thing stopping my bleeding from going from bad to worse was that knife. It worked like a plug, blocking the blood from escaping. If he had pulled out that knife, there would have been no chance of me surviving; I would have quickly bled to death."

Phoenix's explanation made sense, but it didn't really tell them anything. In the end, it was only Phoenix's speculation of the situation. Whether Apollo did wanted to stab Phoenix or not could not be determined and what they all really wanted to know was _why_ Apollo would have stabbed him.

When they had finished discussing possibilities, Phoenix said to Ema, "I guess you have to arrest him now, but please tell him for me that no matter what his reason is, I do still care about him and I forgive him."

Ema nodded and left the room.

Police officers were sent to Apollo's apartment only to find he was not home yet. Nobody knew where he had gone, so the police waited for him to come home and other officers were informed to look out for him. The stake out continued into the late hours of the night and Apollo still had not returned home in the early hours of the morning. The longer they waited, the clearer it became that Apollo must be on the run and an official search began.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I decided to write a chapter that looks at things from Apollo's point of view after he stabs Phoenix. **

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Apollo couldn't believe what he had just done. Once outside, he looked back at the building. Part of him wanted Phoenix to hurry up and die so that it would all just be over, but at the same time, he wanted Phoenix to be okay.

Apollo looked down at the floor and nervously shifted his feet in the gravel beneath him. Thinking of the impact of what he had just done, he remembered Trucy. Trucy would be most affected by Phoenix's death than anyone, and Apollo knew that he couldn't be the one to comfort her if Phoenix died.

"Please, don't let it be too late," Apollo spoke almost as if in prayer as he picked up some stones from the gravel. He knew Trucy would be in bed already, so he threw the stones at Trucy's bedroom window in an attempt to create a sound loud enough to wake her. The first stone missed the window, so Apollo tried again. This time he hit the window. The sound it made at impact may have been loud enough to wake Trucy, but Apollo wasn't taking chances. He tossed another stone and it hit the window louder. 'That should have woken her,' Apollo thought to himself as he fled from the scene, 'It's up to Trucy to save him now'.

Apollo headed home knowing that he could never be forgiven, especially if Trucy doesn't wake up and save Phoenix. Truly believing that if Phoenix survived, he would hate him forever, he wouldn't be surprised if Phoenix were to tell the police it was him. With that thought, Apollo considered how long he would have before the police would come after him. He guessed that Phoenix would be in no condition to talk tonight, so he would be safe until the next day.

Returning home, Apollo looked around. 'Lonely as always' was Apollo's first thought every time he returned home. Apollo knew he'd be lonelier more than ever now that he has lost the people he was closest to. Feeling tired he removed his coat and lay down on his bed. He drifted into sleep with only depressed thoughts shrouding his mind.

That night, despite everything that had happened and all of Apollo's negative thoughts, Apollo dreamt of happy times with Phoenix and Trucy. After only sleeping for about an hour, Apollo woke as if he was just having a nightmare. The dream was like a nightmare to Apollo after what he had done. After remembering how happy he could be with Phoenix and Trucy, he regretted stabbing Phoenix more than he did previously. 'I hope he's okay,' Apollo thought, then realised how contradictory his feelings are. 'I was just stabbing him and wanting him dead, now I can't stop worrying. What's wrong with me? Why can't I think straight?'

Apollo soon heard the sound of his phone ringing. There was only one person who could possibly be calling so late at night; Trucy. She must have woken up and found Phoenix. He didn't answer the call because he knew there was no way he could ever bring himself to talk to her ever again after what he had done. He didn't feel like he could talk to _anyone_ after what he had done. He sat there listening to the phone ringing. The phone rang two more times and each time he never even touched his phone.

Only a couple of hours have passed between the time he stabbed Phoenix and the time he received the calls. Of course Trucy would have called the emergency services before even thinking of calling Apollo, so Apollo concluded that Phoenix must still be alive. 'I didn't pull out the knife; he shouldn't have lost too much blood. He's probably fine'.

Thinking of the word 'fine' made Apollo realise he's not been using the word as often as he used to. 'I'm fine? Ha, I'm not fine. No one and nothing is fine'.

Morning came and Apollo decided to leave his apartment. It's obviously the first place the police would look for him. 'I should get out here' was Apollo's first thought when he woke up and saw the time was 7:30am. He packed a bag with food, water, money, a change of clothes and a blanket. With that, he left with no idea where he was going.

Apollo had considered going to stay with his best friend Clay Terran, but he didn't want to bother him. 'He's busy with his own life, no reason to make him put up with me.' Apollo began to believe that because he'd not seen Clay for a while, he had probably forgotten all about him and probably didn't care about him at all any more.

After walking for hours, Apollo still had no destination in mind. He just wanted to get away from everyone, from everything. For someone who felt alone most of the time, he couldn't help but feel strange for wanting time alone. Through all his thinking, all he could conclude was that everyone would be better of without him.

Apollo eventually came across a bridge with rushing water flowing beneath. Looking down at the water, Apollo remembered the time Phoenix told him he had fallen off a burning bridge when trying to get to his friend Maya on the other side and came out hardly injured. 'Phoenix is strong, I'm sure he must have survived me stabbing him'. Apollo kept trying to reassure himself that he wasn't a murderer by telling himself Phoenix must have survived, without a doubt.

He was still looking down from the bridge. 'I'm not strong like Phoenix,' Apollo thought to himself. 'If I were to fall from this bridge, I would surely not make it out of that river alive'. Apollo shook his head. 'No, suicide isn't an option. That would be the easy way out of this terrible life. I deserve to suffer every moment knowing I'm a terrible person'.

Apollo passed over the bridge and continued his journey to nowhere. After a while, Apollo found another reason to live on. He had decided that he wanted to see Phoenix. He felt so silly. None of his decisions seemed to make sense to him; walking away to never see him again, but wanting to go back. However, he knew that if Phoenix had survived, he'd want answers. He wanted Phoenix to know just why he had done what he did. Phoenix deserved an explanation at least.

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**A/N: You won't know who Clay is unless you've played Dual Destinies.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I've been busier than I thought I'd be the past week due to exams and procrastination, but I finally got around to writing the next chapter! I'm going to try not to slack off any more than I already have. **

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A couple of weeks had passed and Phoenix was recovering well. He was told that he would be discharged within the next few days and he couldn't wait to finally get out of the hospital.

He and Trucy and actually been spending most of their time worrying about Apollo. The police still hadn't found him. Trucy joked about how he'd only have to not spike up the front of his hair and he'd probably look like a completely different person making it impossible for him to be found by the police.

Behind the jokes that tried to lift their spirits, they couldn't stop thinking of worse case scenarios. They continuously worried that something bad had happened to Apollo. Not knowing Apollo's whereabouts or his reason for attacking Phoenix also scared them. What if Apollo were to come after Phoenix and attack him again?

Phoenix often noticed Trucy looking worried. Most times when he asked her what's wrong, she would deny anything being wrong, but each time he would still reassure her that everything would be fine.

"What if Apollo comes back?" Trucy asked, curious to hear Phoenix's response.

"Then we welcome him back as if it never happened," Phoenix replied with a calm smile on his face.

Trucy was surprised to hear that Phoenix would welcome him back so easily, but that's just how forgiving her Daddy can be.

"But the police are after him..." Trucy spoke with worry, it was obvious things would not go back to normal right away; there are still too many unanswered questions.

"I know, and no crime should go unpunished, but he's still our friend, and we know he's not as dangerous as the police think he is," Phoenix was still smiling, and his smile reassured Trucy that everything really will be okay.

Finally, the day Phoenix was discharged from hospital came. He was pleased to be able to go home, although he was worried he'd be reminded of what happened with Apollo if he were to look at the room where he was stabbed.

When they reached home, Phoenix entered the room to find it was cleaner than he remembered it. The blood had been cleaned up and Trucy had actually tidied away most of her magic equipment. She was worried that Phoenix would trip on her things, possibly causing him even more problems.

"You didn't have to tidy up," Phoenix said as he looked around the room. "I kind of miss the mess."

"I was just worried about you... but I promise to mess up the room when you get better," Trucy grinned at the thought of purposely making a mess.

Being back at home made the disappearance of Apollo even more real to them. Phoenix pondered on the past, remembering how Apollo would usually come over almost every day. It has been only a few weeks, but it felt like it had been much longer than that since he'd last seen Apollo.

As the evening approached, Phoenix decided to go for a walk, which only caused Trucy to worry about him more.

"The doctor said you're supposed to be getting plenty of rest, not going to late night walks," Trucy argued as Phoenix put his jacket on.

"It's not that late into the night. I just need to get some fresh air and stretch my legs." Phoenix said reasonably.

"Okay, but take it easy and take your phone so you can call if you don't feel well and I'll come and get you and walk you home." Trucy tossed Phoenix's phone to him and he caught it one handed, showing off how well he was feeling, giving Trucy less reason to worry.

"You worry too much, Trucy," Phoenix said as he stuffed his phone into his pocket.

"Well you did recently get stabbed," Trucy frowned at the thought.

"I know, but I'm okay now,"

Phoenix then left to go on his walk. He went to the park to walk and clear his mind. The park was completely empty and silent; a great place to go to think.

He couldn't stop thinking about how strange things are without Apollo around any more. He wanted to know why Apollo would betray him. He wanted to see him again. He didn't care that he had stabbed him. Phoenix knew there must have been something wrong and all he wanted was to be able to help Apollo.

Phoenix pulled out his phone to check the time and realised he had been out getting fresh air for 2 whole hours. As he put the phone back inside his pocket, he heard a voice behind him saying "Trucy must be worried about you being out so late."

As he turned around, he saw a familiar face looking back at him with sad eyes. Apollo was right there in front of him.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I had no idea how to write this chapter. I sort of made a mess of notes about what I was going to include then somehow put it all together, so I hope it's okay.**

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"Apollo..." Phoenix spoke quietly, surprised to see him.

They both stood there in silence for a while. Even in the darkness of the night, Phoenix could see how much of a mess Apollo looked. His red coat was now a browner colour as it was covered in dirt and mud. For once, his hair was not gelled back, and his two spikes were non-existent.

They had both wanted to see each other again to talk about what had happened, but now that they were face to face neither of them knew exactly what they should say.

Phoenix decided to get straight to the point.

"Why did you do it?" Phoenix asked.

Apollo looked away. He knew he'd have to explain everything. He was the one to approach Phoenix first because he thought he was ready. After all he had just spent the past two weeks pondering on what he had done, but the conversation was much more difficult to have than Apollo had imagined.

"Apollo, please tell me why you did it," Phoenix pleaded.

"I... I just... I was just mad... at you..." Apollo struggled to get the words out.

"Why were you mad at me?" Phoenix had no idea what he could have done to make Apollo so angry that he'd stab him.

"Because... I had always respected and looked up to you, but while I looked up to you, you only ever looked down on me!" Apollo's voice grew louder; he started shouting loud and clear and he looked as if he was about to cry. "I thought I'd always be able to trust you, but I can't!"

Phoenix was shocked and confused at this response "Apollo, what are you talking about?"

"Nobody likes me really. Nobody ever says anything nice to me. I'm only ever teased and made fun of; I can't take it anymore, especially from the person I looked up to most!"

"Apollo, we're only joking around when we-"

"Just because it's a joke doesn't mean it doesn't hurt my feelings!" Apollo was on the verge of tears. "How do you think it makes me feel when all anyone ever says about me is that my voice is too loud and my forehead is too big and my hair is too pointy? I was hoping you would step in and tell them to knock it off, but you just laugh along and I'm left trying to defend myself! Just because you stopped being a defence attorney does mean you don't have to defend your friends!"

"Apollo, I never noticed you were being so hurt by those jokes. Why didn't you just tell me?" Phoenix never would have imagined that a little bit of teasing every now and then would really upset Apollo this much. Phoenix was used to being teased about how spiky his hair is; he never let it bother him, so he felt terrible that Apollo had been hurt by the teasing. He wished he had known sooner so that he could have talked to Apollo about it before it became too much for Apollo to bear.

"I didn't think you'd care. If you did care... then you would have noticed and done something to help me," Apollo clenched his fists, but appeared to be quietening down a bit. He felt weak remembering all those times he let the 'jokes' get to him, but to him, they were really upsetting.

"Apollo, I'm so sorry you felt like you couldn't rely on me. I should have been there for you," Phoenix was deeply sorry, but still couldn't understand why Apollo would go as far as _stabbing_ him, so he asked him about it.

"Like I said... I was mad. My anger grew and grew and I ended up aiming it at you because I had deluded myself into thinking you had betrayed me by not sticking up for me. I decided I wanted to hurt you, then the next thing I knew I was on my way to kill you. I didn't really want you to die, I swear I didn't, but I was blinded by my anger," Apollo seemed very frustrated at himself as he pulled at his hair. "I feel like I don't even know why I did it anymore. It was stupid. I was stupid. Once the blade was inside you, I decided that hurting you wasn't what I wanted, but by then it was too late. I wish I could just go back and stop my anger from taking over. That way you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Phoenix could see that Apollo was having difficulty thinking straight. All of his emotions were everywhere, and Phoenix just didn't know what to say. He was trying to understand everything that Apollo had just said; comprehending that Apollo only stabbed him because of an outburst of anger. Sort of like when you get so mad that you just _have_ to punch a pillow to make you feel better, but in this case it was stabbing rather than punching, and instead of a pillow it was Phoenix. It made Phoenix happy to hear that Apollo regretted his actions because that meant he still cared about him.

"Well, I only came to give you an explanation, you deserved as much. It wouldn't be fair to leave you wondering 'why?'" Apollo decided that he had said enough. "I'll leave now, that way I'll never hurt you again."

As Apollo turned around to walk away, Phoenix ran to him and grasped him in a hug. Apollo felt thinner than usual. It was obvious he'd not been eating properly since running away. At first, Apollo tried to push away from Phoenix and escape the hug, but Phoenix wouldn't let go. When he realised his attempts were futile, he just stood still.

"No one can change the past. The only thing we can do is strive to make up for our mistakes, so that we can find the way back to our path towards a brighter future," Phoenix said as he rested his head against the younger man's. "I don't want you to leave again."

"But I can't trust myself to be around you anymore, just let me go," Apollo felt Phoenix's grasp become tighter.

"It doesn't matter what happens, Trucy and I will always care about you," Phoenix stated as he let go of Apollo, trusting him to stay. "Don't leave again. We've been lonely without you."

Apollo couldn't understand how he was being forgiven so easily. Nor could he believe that Phoenix was telling him the truth, causing Apollo's mind to be filled with negative thoughts. 'He bluffs all the time to make things go his way; this is no different. Why would they worry about me? They only have reasons to hate me. They don't miss me; they just miss having someone to make fun of.'

"Aren't you forgetting that I stabbed you? I could have killed you... After what I did to you... you must be lying, you could never care about me," Apollo began to cry the tears he had been trying to hold in the whole time.

"Apollo, I forgive you for stabbing me, I've known this whole time that there must be an explanation for what you did, and now I've heard it. I'm so sorry Apollo; I didn't realise you were being so affected by what were meant as harmless jokes," Phoenix sounded as if he were about to cry when he apologised. He was truly sorry.

Apollo's crying grew harder and he crouched to the floor with his arms wrapped around his legs and his forehead pressed against his knees.

It really hurt Phoenix to see Apollo in such a state. Phoenix walked around the crouching Apollo so that he would be standing in front of him.

"Apollo, please come back with me," Phoenix pleaded as he stretched out his hand to Apollo.

The crouching attorney slowly lifted his head to look at Phoenix. He glanced at the hand that was offering him kindness and forgiveness, then slowly lifted his own hand and placed it in Phoenix's. Phoenix tightened his grip, determined to never let Apollo go again.

* * *

**A/N: ****I felt really sorry for Apollo when I was playing Dual Destinies because I think everyone was being extra mean to him, which is how I decided that this would be his reason for stabbing Phoenix! Even though this is set before DD, it was actually DD that inspired me to start writing this story because Fulbright said to Phoenix "Kind of like if your red Mr. Lawyer were to kill you."**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I started writing this when I was working on chapter 8, but I've been really tired and had lots of homework to do, so I've only just finished it.**

* * *

Phoenix pulled Apollo to his feet and asked him once again to come with him. Apollo nodded, but as he tried to take a step, he collapsed in Phoenix's arms. It was obvious that Apollo was very tired and weak from not eating properly, but Phoenix didn't expect him to faint.

Lifting the smaller man up into his arms, Phoenix knew he'd have to carry Apollo home. Apollo was lighter than Phoenix thought he'd be, which made him easier to carry, but it also made Phoenix worry more. 'Where has he been this whole time?' he thought to himself.

Clearly Apollo had not been getting enough sleep wherever he'd been. When Phoenix brought Apollo inside, where it was much lighter than outside, he saw terrible bags under Apollo's eyes. He removed Apollo's bag from his back and took off his filthy coat and his shoes and dropped them onto the floor. Then he proceeded to lay the sleeping Apollo gently on the sofa.

As Phoenix grabbed a blanket and draped it over his sleeping friend, he realised just how much Apollo stunk. He really was in need of a good shower or bath. His face was filthy, his hair was a greasy mess, and his hands and fingernails were also very dirty.

Phoenix went to Trucy's room and saw that she was fast asleep in bed. He wondered how she would react to Apollo being back. He wasn't sure if she would welcome him as he said they should, or if she would be mad at him. Phoenix could only hope that she would understand and be forgiving of what he did.

Phoenix didn't want to sleep that night. He shifted onto the sofa and moved Apollo's sleepy head onto his lap. He was worried that Apollo would wake up and run away again during the night. Phoenix couldn't stay awake and he knew he should be getting some rest as he was still recovering. He eventually drifted into sleep while still sitting on the sofa.

That night, Apollo got the best sleep that he'd not experienced for a long time. When he did wake in the morning, he saw that he was resting on Phoenix's lap. He remembered everything that happened the previous night. 'How could he forgive me and take me in like this?' Apollo asked himself as he looked up at Phoenix's sleeping face.

Phoenix soon woke up and let out a big yawn. He looked down and smiled at Apollo who was still comfortably resting on his lap.

"Good morning," Phoenix said with a smile.

Apollo was apparently choosing to not speak as he never gave a reply. He just store blankly with a neutral expression on his face.

"I hope you're not being quiet because you're thinking too much," Phoenix said, getting a reaction out of Apollo.

Apollo shifted his eyes to look away from Phoenix and sat up. He pushed the blanket off of him and sat at the other end of the sofa looking at the floor.

"I thought we established last night that I won't understand what you're thinking about or feeling unless you tell me. Things won't get better if you continue to keep things to yourself," Phoenix tried to reason with the silent Apollo.

After getting no response from Apollo, Phoenix sighed and reminded Apollo that he can tell him anything, and that he'll wait until Apollo is ready to speak about it more.

"Not to be rude, but you could really do with a shower," Phoenix said hoping not to offend is sensitive friend.

He provided Apollo with a towel and clean clothes. While Apollo was showering, Trucy awoke. Phoenix decided that this would be a good opportunity to explain everything to her.

Trucy couldn't believe Apollo had actually come back. She believed that he wouldn't show is face again after what he did, however, she was happy that he was back. All Trucy wanted was to have everything sorted out, and Apollo agreeing to stay with them for a while was a start.

Apollo took a long time in the shower. He thoroughly washed his hair and body; he had felt so disgusting after the two weeks of not showering that the hot water falling on him felt so good. He really wanted to enjoy showering, but he couldn't get rid of the horrible thoughts in his mind telling him that he's a terrible person, an idiot, pathetic, someone who didn't deserve to live anymore.

He turned off the shower and dried himself with the towel Phoenix had given him. The clothes he had been provided with were some of Phoenix old clothes that he had grown out of; a plain white shirt and a pair of blue jeans. They fit him quite well, but they were a bit baggy.

Phoenix and Trucy were in the kitchen making breakfast. Apollo could smell the bacon cooking and followed the scent.

"POLLY!" Trucy burst with excitement and ran towards Apollo and gave him a great big hug. She wanted to show him that she still cared about him and forgives him just like Phoenix did.

Apollo was shocked to be embraced by a hug. He was sure that Trucy would be mad at him, yet she wasn't showing any signs of anger.

Trucy let go of Apollo and commented on how different he looks with his hair down.

Apollo wasn't saying anything; he was too ashamed of what he had done to speak to his half-sister. Trucy was a worried about him more because of his silence.

"Hey, Polly, are you okay?" The young magician asked.

Surprisingly, she got a response. Apollo wrapped his arms around her and started apologising frantically. He knew he must have put her through so much pain by hurting Phoenix and felt like he had to apologise before he'd be able to talk her normally again.

Trucy was surprised by his hug, but it was nice. She patted him on the back and told him that everything is fine. He felt better that he had apologised, and he was glad that Trucy wasn't mad, although he felt like he didn't deserve her kindness.

The trio ate their breakfast. Phoenix had put slightly more bacon on Apollo's plate, hoping that he'd put back on the weight he had lost over the previous weeks. He also hoped that the bacon would be so tasty that it would make Apollo smile and feel happy, as he hadn't been smiling at all.

Seeing Apollo's glum face made Phoenix wonder if things would ever get better. He decided to stay positive; he couldn't let negative thoughts get him down. Making sure Apollo didn't feel ignored, Phoenix asked him what he wanted to do bearing in mind that anything involving going outside probably wasn't a good option considering the police still think he's a dangerous criminal.

Apollo just shrugged his shoulders with no idea what he wanted to do. Looking unimpressed with this response, Phoenix asked him about what he had been doing and where he had been when he ran away.

Apollo explained that he couldn't think of anywhere to go, and didn't think anyone he knew would accept him, so he'd been living on the streets. He never had much to do, so he'd just walk around and think about what he'd done all day. He apologised to Phoenix for placing the blame on him, but continued to say that during all his thinking he realised he only had himself to blame.

Phoenix told him not to place the blame on himself, but Apollo shook his head.

"If I weren't so weak, I'd be able to handle a little teasing," Apollo began to cry.

Phoenix felt bad about bringing the topic up and apologised.

In the end, they spent the rest of the day just relaxing and watching TV. Trucy tried to get Apollo to smile by showing him some new magic tricks she had been practising, but nothing seemed to cheer him up.

* * *

**A/N: I had no idea how to end this chapter, so I'll just leave it with an unhappy Apollo.**


	10. Chapter 10

Phoenix couldn't ignore Apollo's unhappy expressions. He grew more worried every minute. Not wanting Apollo to cry again, he wanted to put off talking about it for a while, but he knew he that wouldn't help at all. They had to talk about it if they were to overcome the problem. If Apollo _did_ cry again, then he'd just have to comfort him.

Phoenix approached Apollo who was currently curled up in a ball, lying on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around him. Apollo's grip on the blanket was so tight; he seemed to be holding onto it as if his life depended on it. Taking grasp of the blanket, Phoenix gave it a great pull and Apollo's grip on the blanket was lost.

"Hey! What was that for?" Apollo was annoyed, he felt cold without the blanket around him.

"You can't lie here moping around all day or you'll never feel better," Phoenix was clearly worried about Apollo.

"Well it's not like I can go outside, the police might notice me, not that I care if they find me or not, but you seem to want me to stay," Apollo sat up and glared at Phoenix who was still holding the blanket.

Phoenix chuckled, "They wouldn't know what you look like without those spikes of yours anyway, they wouldn't recognise you if you were right in-front of them," he was used to seeing Apollo's hair not covered in gel now; he really would be unrecognisable to someone who didn't know him well though.

"Well maybe I'd be able to gel it if you actually had any hair gel," Apollo sounded really annoyed.

"Sorry, but my hair spikes are natural, I have no need for hair gel," Phoenix smirked. "Now get up, there's somewhere I want to take you."

"Where?" Apollo was really curious as to where Phoenix could possibly want to take him.

Phoenix didn't want to say. "You'll, um, find out when we get there."

"I'm not a child, just tell me!" Apollo demanded.

Phoenix gave in; he wasn't going to argue with Apollo over something so silly. "I want to take you to see a doctor," Phoenix stated bluntly.

"What? No way! I'm not seeing a doctor! You think I'm insane, don't you?" Apollo shot Phoenix what appeared to be the angriest and saddest look both at once.

"Not at all!" Phoenix insisted. "I'm just worried about you because you seem really unhappy all of the time, and I don't know how to help you."

Phoenix hated seeing Apollo looking so glum and really did just want what he thought would be best, and he had a feeling he knew what was wrong with Apollo, he just needed a doctor to diagnose it so they could do something about it.

"Well I don't want to be on whatever crazy pills some doctor prescribes," Apollo crossed his arms acting stubborn like a child refusing to eat his greens.

"Damn it, Apollo, I'm only looking out for you! You said I don't care enough about you, but when I do try to help, you just push me away!" Phoenix was losing his patience with Apollo. He felt bad for sounding like he was placing blame on Apollo, but he knew that if Apollo felt bad about refusing to go, then he would eventually agree to go.

Apollo curled back into a ball on the sofa. He wasn't saying anything again, so Phoenix threw the blanket back on to Apollo and then went to make some coffee. When Phoenix returned to the sofa with coffee for him and Apollo, the younger man apologised for refusing to go to the doctors. He said that he was offended because it's clear there's something wrong with him, but he keeps trying to deny it. Despite this, he still refused to go.

Phoenix allowed Apollo to waste the rest of the day lying on the sofa. Without telling Apollo, he had called the doctor and asked for him to come over. Over the phone, Phoenix explained what he believed was wrong with Apollo.

The next day, Apollo was doing exactly what he was doing the previous day; nothing. Phoenix approached a sleeping Apollo lying on the sofa, and rather than pulling his blanket off, this time he couched beside him.

"Apollo, wake up," Phoenix nudged the sleepy attorney. "It's morning, Apollo, almost the afternoon actually, so get up."

Apollo woke up with a big yawn. He opened his eyes and took a look at Phoenix then rolled over to face the other way.

"Don't be so moody," Phoenix complained.

"But I don't feel like getting up today," Apollo moaned as he pulled the blanket over his head.

"You spent the whole of yesterday lying here, I'm not letting you do nothing all day," Phoenix pulled the blanket off Apollo.

"Stop doing that! If we're just repeating yesterday, then the answer is no if you're planning on inviting me to the doctors again," Apollo sat up and pulled his knees to his chest.

"I'm not going to force you to go anywhere, Apollo, you clearly don't want to leave that sofa," Phoenix said with a mischievous grin on his face.

Apollo was no fool, he could tell Phoenix was up to something.

"So, I've asked the doctor to come here to see you," Phoenix sounded very proud of himself.

Apollo face-palmed. "You really do want to prove I'm insane, don't you?"

"I'm just worried about you. Look, I think that you're suffering from depression," Phoenix said with worry in his voice. "If a doctor diagnoses it, then you can get help. I just want you to be smiling again."

"Fine, I'll see a doctor, but just because I'm not happy, doesn't mean I'm depressed," Apollo pouted.

An hour later, the doctor arrived. He asked to be given time alone with Apollo when talking to him as Apollo would probably feel more comfortable if Phoenix wasn't there. Phoenix decided to go for a walk to give Apollo some privacy when talking to the doctor.

The doctor asked Apollo about the symptoms of depression. He found that Apollo had a continuous low mood for weeks, was easily irritated, lost interest in pretty much everything, and had suicidal thoughts.

Apollo told the doctor about how worthless he feels all the time, and that he can't seem to think straight. He deeply wants to believe that everything's fine, but always ends up telling himself that everything's not fine.

After about twenty minutes of talking, the doctor had a good understanding of Apollo's confused mental state. A while later, Phoenix returned.

"How'd it go?" Phoenix asked as he entered the room.

The doctor got up and walked to Phoenix who was standing by the door.

"Mr Justice appears to be suffering from severe depression brought on by negative thinking-"

"I knew it!" Phoenix interrupted. He apologised to let the doctor continue. 'I would make a great doctor' he thought to himself as the doctor began to speak again.

The doctor looked at him, unimpressed. "He will require cognitive therapy. This will enable him to learn to think rationally again as his pessimistic views are preventing him from seeing things in a realistic way."

"Does he need some sort of medication?" Phoenix enquired.

"I believe drugs would be ineffective. We could try a placebo, but what he really needs is support from his friends," the doctor said, putting pressure on Phoenix to do his best to help Apollo. "Mr Justice appears to be over-thinking and under-thinking the things people say, so be careful what you say. If you say something nice, he'll think nothing of it, and if you say something that upsets him, he could take it really badly."

"So how am I supposed to help him?" Phoenix asked.

"Just don't say anything he might over-think," the doctor advised. "It's important that he knows he has someone to rely on."

After being handed the number of the therapist who Apollo would have to go to for the cognitive therapy, Phoenix thanked the doctor and showed him out.

"How are you feeling, Apollo?" Phoenix took a seat next to Apollo who was still sitting on the sofa.

"Depressed," Apollo stated bluntly while staring at the floor.

"Apollo, I know you must be upset to be diagnosed with depression, but when you have a problem, you have to face it and overcome it," Phoenix placed his hand on Apollo's shoulder. "If there's anything I can do to help you feel better, stop being so quiet and tell me."

Apollo nodded his head in agreement. He knew his silence was not helping anything.

"Hey, Apollo, I've been meaning to ask, why do you not wear your bracelet anymore?"

Apollo looked at his left wrist and remembered that he took it off and put it in his bag because it reminded him of his mum, and he had told himself that she would hate him if she what he had done.

"That bracelet helps you distinguish between truth and lies," Phoenix reminded him. "Maybe if you had been wearing it, it would have been easier for you to trust us and you wouldn't have to worry because you'd know if we ever lied to you."

Phoenix's advice had unintentionally made Apollo feel even more foolish and ridiculous. He glanced over his shoulder and scanned the room in search for his bag. He didn't know where Phoenix had put it.

"What are you looking for?" Phoenix asked.

"My bag. Where'd you put it?" Apollo was still looking around hoping to spot it before Phoenix could answer.

"Oh, I'll get it for you," Phoenix said as he stood up and began to walk to the other side of the room.

Apollo couldn't see his bag because it was underneath his coat, which was still filthy. 'Did I really wear such a dirty coat?' Apollo asked himself, feeling dirty.

Phoenix passed the bag to Apollo and he began to search through it. There were some food wrappers left from the food he had taken with him when he ran away. He collected them in his hand so that he could dispose of them properly in a bin.

"Here, let me deal with that for you," Phoenix said as he took the wrappers from Apollo's hand.

As Phoenix walked over to the bin to throw away the wrappers, Apollo shuffled through his bag some more and found his bracelet right at the bottom. He wiped a bit of dirt off it and slid it onto his wrist.

Before Phoenix was able to comment on it, Trucy burst into the room.

"I'M HOME!" the young magician shouted as she entered.

"Trucy, why are you being so loud?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, if Polly's being quiet, I thought I'd be louder to liven the place up a bit," Trucy explained. "I miss Polly's loud voice."

Trucy turned to see that Apollo was sitting there. She felt a bit embarrassed to admit that she actually missed how loud Apollo was especially because that was one of the things she used to tease him about most.

Apollo rubbed his bracelet; he was surprised that it hadn't reacted. He knew that Trucy must have been telling the truth about missing his loud voice. For a moment, he thought he felt happy that she actually liked how loud he was, but then the negative thoughts crept in like always, telling himself 'She probably only missed it because she found it entertaining to make fun of me about my loud voice'.

Trucy asked Apollo how he was feeling, and he replied as he had to Phoenix earlier, but saying that he felt depressed. Phoenix proceeded to explain to Trucy that Apollo had been diagnosed with depression.

She became even more worried about Apollo after this, and she felt a great sense of responsibility to help Apollo. She gave him a hug and told him that she would definitely find a magic trick that would cheer him up.

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**A/N: Gosh, I can write this, but I failed my depression essay in my psychology exam?!  
I tried to add symptoms in previous chapters to hint at Apollo being depressed. **


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, the sound of the Steel Samurai's theme tune rang throughout the Wright Anything Agency. Phoenix was getting a call from Ema Skye. Phoenix looked down at his phone. He was unsure why Ema would be calling him, but he was worried it was something to do with Apollo. He knew they would never find him while he was staying at the agency, but he knew he couldn't keep Apollo hidden forever, he was going to have to talk about it with the police eventually, just not when Apollo's mental state isn't anywhere near good.

He answered the phone to hear what Ema had to say. Fortunately, she was just calling to see how Phoenix and Trucy have been holding up. Phoenix said that everything was fine and that she didn't need to worry so much.

"Things must be tough for you though," the police detective said. "We don't even have a clue where Apollo is".

Phoenix could hear the sound of nervous eating coming from the other end of the phone. "I'm sure you'll find him soon and we'll find out why he did it," Phoenix played along.

"Hey, mind if I come over?" Ema asked. "It would be nice to talk face to face rather than over the phone, I'm nearby anyway, so I can be there in 10 minutes."

"Maybe you shouldn't... today's not a good day," Phoenix tried to think of a good excuse to stop Ema from coming over. He didn't want her finding out about Apollo just yet. "I-I think I'm coming down with a cold; wouldn't want to pass it on."

"That's a weak bluff, Mr Wright" Ema had seen right through him. "I don't know why you don't want me over, but that just makes me want to get there quicker. I'll be there soon."

Ema hung up. "Shit!" Phoenix shouted.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Trucy asked.

"Ema's coming over in 10 minutes," Phoenix signed.

"Oh, we haven't seen Ema for a while. I hope she's doing well," Trucy said cheerfully.

"I think you're missing the point... Apollo's here and the police are still looking for him," Phoenix explained.

"Oh... well... can't we just tell her?" Trucy asked nervously. "Apollo's not dangerous and it's not like he killed you. There shouldn't be any reason to arrest him."

"It was attempted murder, he may not have killed me, but he tried to." Phoenix said with sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Daddy..." Trucy sounded as sad as Phoenix.

"For what?" Phoenix wasn't sure what Trucy was apologising for; he couldn't recall her doing something wrong.

"For telling Ema that it was Apollo who stabbed you. If I hadn't told her, we could just carry on as if it never happened," Trucy pouted, feeling bad about herself.

"Hey, it's not your fault. They wanted an answer from me anyway, so if you hadn't told them, I probably would have eventually," Phoenix comforted his daughter. "We can't change the past, but what are we going to do right now. We should wait for Apollo to feel better before the police get more involved."

Trucy ran up to Apollo who was sitting on the sofa, fiddling with his bracelet. He was getting used to wearing it again. "You have to hide," the teenage magician said in a panicked tone.

"Why? What happened?" Apollo was shocked and confused.

"Ema's coming over! If she finds you, the police will take you away because you stabbed Daddy," Trucy was now pulling at Apollo's arm, trying to get him to move.

Apollo couldn't understand how Trucy could calmly mention that he had stabbed Phoenix and was also trying to help him hide from the police. 'Surely I deserve to be arrested; I did stab a man after all'. Apollo didn't budge from that spot.

"What are you doing, get up!" Trucy pulled harder in an attempt to get the stubborn man to his feet, but to no avail. "It's like you want to get arrested."

Trucy let go of Apollo's arm, realising his intentions. "Polly, I'm not letting you get arrested. Daddy has already forgiven you, so it's not right for you to go to jail."

"No, I don't deserve freedom, I should be locked up, then I can't hurt anyone again," Apollo covered his face with his hands.

"That's what you're worried about? Polly, you're one of the kindest people I know. You're not going to hurt Daddy again, you just have to get over your depression and keep happy, then everything will be fine," Trucy flashed a smile to calm Apollo's nerves. "It would hurt us more if you _were_ arrested".

Apollo could understand what Trucy was telling him and knew that he'd have to hide. They can always explain everything to the police at a time that suits them. Phoenix suggested hiding in a wardrobe, but Apollo thought it would be too cramped. They were running out of time fast. Ema was at the door and nobody wanted to answer it to let her in.

"Just answer it," Apollo whispered as he crept into the large box Trucy uses for magic tricks sometimes.

Phoenix opened the door. "Ah, Ema, great to see you," he said as he scratched the back of his head.

"It's nice to see you too," Ema smiled. "But you did seem to not want me here earlier."

"Ah, never mind that..." Phoenix welcomed her in. "Um, have a seat."

Ema sat down on the sofa and started munching on her snackoos. Phoenix was becoming very nervous as Ema sat extremely close to the box Apollo was hiding inside. One sound or movement from Apollo and they'd be found out.

"Trucy, how have you been?" Ema asked between bites.

"I've been alright, worrying about Daddy a lot though," Trucy knew she had act like everything was fine, but not let on that they have had any sort of contact with Apollo. The obvious way to do this was to just not talk about Apollo, or the incident, at all.

"Well, that's understandable, but he appears to be doing just fine," Ema turned to look at Phoenix who was just awkwardly standing there.

"Come and sit with us, Daddy," Trucy said to try and make the atmosphere less awkward.

"Um... I'll just leave you to your girl talk and stuff," Phoenix left the room. 'Damn, Apollo should have just hidden in my room; Ema would have never looked there. She'll probably just stay on the sofa the whole time she's here'. Phoenix sighed.

"You seem to be in a really good today, did something good happen?" Trucy asked her unusually chipper friend.

"I can finally eat snackoos again," Ema said as she continued to stuff her face.

"Couldn't you eat them before?" Trucy enquired with a confused look on her face.

"I was banned for eating them for a month," Ema explained. "Apparently they were distracting me from my work, contaminating the crime scene, and making hungry people even hungrier just by watching me eat them."

The idle chat continued for a while. Trucy soon got up and said she needed to use the loo. During the time Trucy was out of the room, Ema had been left alone. Looking around the room, she realised just how many magic props Trucy has, but it was the large box that caught her attention most.

She stood up from where she was sitting, still stuffing her face with snackoos, and walk over to the box. "I wonder what she uses this box for," Ema spoke to herself and gently knocked on the box. "It's big enough to fit a person inside."

Apollo was startled by the knock on the box; it almost made him jump. Putting his hands to his mouth, he tried to breathe as slowly and quietly as possible.

Ema was just about to open the box to see if there was anything inside when Trucy reappeared.

"Ema!" Trucy shouted, getting Ema's attention.

Ema turned to face Trucy, "Yes?" she replied, confused as to why Trucy was shouting at her.

"Ah, nothing, just, please don't mess around with my props, you're getting crumbs on them," Trucy said, nervously trying to think of a reason to get Ema away from the box.

"Sorry," Ema apologised, not believing she really did anything wrong. She thought Trucy was acting kind of strange. "If I put away the snackoos, can I look at the props in the box?"

"No! They're... um... secret, you can't look until I've perfected the magic trick," Trucy said hoping that it was a believable excuse.

"Just a peak?" Ema asked, slightly opening the box.

The gap in the box let in some sunlight that shone through the window directly onto Apollo's face. His nose began to scrunch up. Trying to hold in the sneeze was impossible. "AAACCHHHHOOOOO!"

The sneeze startled both of the girls. Ema opened the box completely, and was shocked to see Apollo hiding in there. Apollo looked as if he was disappointed in himself. 'I can't do anything right, not even hide,' he thought to himself as he tried to avoid eye contact with the police detective.

"Apollo?! What the heck are you doing here?" Ema began to rant on with many questions, which Trucy knew she and he Daddy would have to answer. "How long have you been staying here? Trucy, were you hiding him here? What is going on? Apollo had gone missing, don't tell he me as here the whole time and you didn't tell me. Why didn't you tell me? The police have still got their eyes out for him. You could get in trouble top for harbouring a criminal."

Trucy looked nervously at Apollo, who was glanced at her before his eyes trailed towards the floor.

Phoenix could hear the commotion. "Shit," he said as he stood up knowing that he'd have to explain everything to Ema. All eyes fell on him as soon as he entered the room. Ema was hoping for an explanation, and Trucy and Apollo were hoping that Phoenix would be the one to do the explaining.

"I'm going to need an explanation," Ema said sternly. The snackoos were nowhere to be seen, Phoenix could tell how seriously she was taking this.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but Apollo has been staying here for a while," Phoenix's face looked equally as serious as Ema's. "But if you're planning on arresting him, I won't allow it."

"He stabbed you," Ema reminded him. "Why are you helping him? You're the victim in this case, so why?" She knew she must sound so horrible to Apollo, but she just didn't understand how one week Phoenix is being stabbed, and the next he's helping his attacker.

"I know it must seem strange, but Apollo and I have talked it through, it's fine now," Phoenix knew he had to think of some way to persuade Ema to let Apollo off the hook. "Apollo's not dangerous, I never said that I wanted him arrested, and yet you're acting as if he's killed someone."

"He could have killed _you,_" Ema stated firmly.

"But he didn't," Phoenix calmly replied. "And it's not going to happen again, so just let it go."

Ema had a feeling that Phoenix was hiding something from her. "It seems like there's something else bothering you," Ema enquired.

"Apollo's suffering from depression," Phoenix stated. "Do you really think sending him to prison is going to help that at all?"

This took Ema by surprise. "He's depressed? Is that why he stabbed you?"

"Ema let's just drop it," Phoenix didn't feel comfortable doing all the talking. He could see each sentence making Apollo look more and more scared and upset. "I just want to be able to help Apollo in any way I can, and I don't see that happening with him behind bars."

Ema understood. She didn't want to have to arrest Apollo; she'd just be doing her job. She knew that Apollo wasn't dangerous, but the police force seemed to get the idea that he was after what he did to Phoenix. "After what he did to you, I doubt we can just forget about it, the police see him as a dangerous criminal."

"Then tell them he's not," Phoenix sounded desperate. "Please, just try to convince them."

"I'll see what I can do," Ema promised.

Phoenix thanked her as she left. Once she was gone, Apollo fell into a crouching position, leaning against the wall, and began to cry.

"Apollo," Phoenix rushed towards and crouched beside the crying man. "It's okay now. If Ema can see that you're not dangerous, then everyone else will see it too."

Apollo began to cry harder, Phoenix gently placed his hand on Apollo's shoulder and pulled him closer to him. Trucy sat on the floor, beside them. She didn't know what to say, but she wanted Apollo to know she's there for him.

"I should have been arrested," Apollo stated when his crying had begun to stop.

"But you weren't," Phoenix gently rubbed Apollo's arm.

"I should have been... I mean, I don't deserve this freedom," Apollo was about to start crying again.

"Apollo, you can't think straight right now, but once you get better, you'll understand that you're better off here, not in prison," Phoenix tried to comfort him.

Apollo nodded in agreement because he had lost any energy he could have used to argue back.

A few hours later, Phoenix received a call from Ema. Phoenix spoke first. "I assume that because I've not had the police over, demanding that I hand over Apollo, things went in my favour?"

"Well, yes and no," Ema replied. "Bad news is that Apollo is to be stripped of his attorney badge. Good news is that they won't arrest him if you're not pressing charges."

Phoenix didn't know how he'd break the news to Apollo about losing his attorney badge, but at least he wasn't going to be in prison.

"Thanks, Ema. I really appreciate you sorting things out for us," Phoenix said, hoping that Ema realised just how much he does appreciate it.

"You're welcome," Ema replied. "But quit hiding things from me,"

"Sorry, I guess I should have told you sooner, rather than try to hide Apollo from you," Phoenix rubbed the back of his head. 'I wonder would have happened if she never found out, would things have gone better or worse?' Phoenix wondered. He thanked Ema once more and hung up the phone.

Apollo was now sleeping in Phoenix's bed. Apollo had refused to sleep every other night, but Phoenix didn't think it would be good for him to be sleeping on the sofa any longer, so Phoenix carried him to his bed once he had fallen asleep.

Before getting some sleep himself, Phoenix went to say goodnight to Trucy.

"Goodnight, Trucy," he said as he peered around the door.

"Oh, Daddy, wait," Trucy commanded before Phoenix could leave. Phoenix fully entered the room. "Daddy, I've got a surprise for Apollo that will definitely turn his frown up-side down."

* * *

**A/N: This story is almost over... the next chapter should be the last. Sorry I've not been updating as often as I had hoped, but I've just been busy with other things, so I've not had much time for this story, hopefully this slightly longer chapter makes up for it. **


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, Trucy suggested that now the police weren't looking for Apollo, they should go to his apartment so Apollo could wear some of his own clothes, his hair gel, and whatever else he may want from there. Phoenix agreed that getting some of Apollo's stuff would be a good idea; he couldn't just wear Phoenix's old clothes all the time.

Apollo was reluctant to go at first, but Phoenix and Trucy managed to persuade him that it would be good for him to go out for a while, at least just to get some fresh air and stretch his legs if nothing else. He put on his shoes and stood outside with Phoenix, leaning against the wall.

"Now that you're outside, why not go for a walk?" Phoenix suggested.

Apollo was not talking very much, but he nodded his head and said "Okay". He knew where this was headed and decided to just go along with it.

As they started to walk, Phoenix made another suggestion. "Now that we're walking, why don't we walk to your apartment to get some of your stuff?" Phoenix was expecting a similar response as before, but this time, Apollo didn't nod his head.

"Why do I have to stay with you anyway? I should just stay at my own apartment. I don't want to be a burden," Apollo stopped walking.

"Apollo, I want you to stay with us because I'm worried about you and I want to take care of you, you're not a burden at all. It would be even more troublesome if you were living on your own because I'll worry more if I can't keep an eye on you," Phoenix explained.

"Okay," Apollo said as he nodded his head in agreement to staying with Phoenix and Trucy.

They continued to walk. Meanwhile, Trucy had been left at home all alone. She had promised to make some space for Apollo's things, but she also used this time to put her secret plan into action.

The journey to Apollo's apartment was silent at first, not knowing what to talk about. Phoenix knew he'd have to tell Apollo that he's not a lawyer any more, but he didn't know when the best time to tell him would be. When they were half way to Apollo's apartment, Phoenix asked him what he was going to take from his apartment. There was nothing in particular that Apollo wanted; just a change of clothes and his hair gel was good enough for him.

It felt strange for Apollo being back in his apartment, he felt like he had been gone for months, not weeks. Phoenix stood around looking at random things in the room while Apollo started sorting through his clothes.

"Um... Apollo... I have something to tell you," Phoenix began to speak.

"Yeah? What is it?" Apollo replied as he picked up a small suitcase and dropped it open on his bed.

"You've... lost your attorney badge," Phoenix found it difficult to say this to Apollo. After all, he knows how painful it is to have your precious attorney badge taken away.

"Oh, well that makes sense, I mean, what kind of lawyer stabs someone?" Apollo didn't seem to care, as if he already knew they'd take his badge from him.

Phoenix was surprised at how well he had taken the bad news, but more than that he was upset that Apollo didn't care. Despite the stabbing, Phoenix knew that Apollo was a great lawyer.

He heard the sound of the suitcase being zipped up. "Packed everything already?" Phoenix asked.

"Yeah, it's not like I'm taking much," Apollo walked towards Phoenix carrying the suitcase.

"Here, let me carry that for you," Phoenix kindly offered.

"I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own things," Apollo snapped at Phoenix, glaring at him. 'This suitcase isn't even big; I must really appear useless if he doesn't think I can carry it,' Apollo looked down at the suitcase in his hands.

"Okay..." Phoenix spoke nervously, hoping he wouldn't say anything else to upset Apollo. "So, shall we head back?"

"Oh, wait, I think I forgot something," Apollo dropped the suitcase by the door and ran back into his room.

While he was getting whatever he forgot, Phoenix looked around the room once more. He saw something shine on the windowsill and walked over to get a better look. Collecting dust by the window was Apollo's attorney badge. 'I guess he realised he wouldn't be a lawyer any more and left it here before he ran away.'

Apollo returned after finding what he had forgotten and placed it in his bag. "Now we can go," he said as he reached down to pick up his bag.

The walk back was just as quiet as the walk there.

"Welcome home!" Trucy said as she heard the door open.

"Hey, Trucy, we're back with Apollo's things," Phoenix announced as Apollo dropped his bag on the floor.

"What are you up to?" Apollo asked Trucy, who was standing behind the large box he had previously hidden inside.

Trucy appeared from behind the box and smiled at Apollo. "I think I've finally found a magic trick that will cheer you up."

"I'm not really in the mood for magic right now." Apollo said, wanting to just unpack his bags and get some rest.

"It's just one trick, Polly," Trucy pouted, showing puppy dog eyes.

"Okay," Apollo said. "I'll watch your magic trick."

Trucy's smile grew and she opened the front of the box. "As you can see, this box is completely empty." She closed the box once Apollo had seen that it really was empty. "But now," Trucy opened the box again.

"I'm Clay Terran, and I'm fine," Clay stepped out of the box.

"CLAY?!" Apollo was completely shocked. He hadn't seen Clay since when he first became a lawyer, and he hadn't expected to see him anytime soon. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my best friend of course," Clay said with a hug grin on his face.

'Shit, I don't want Clay seeing me while I'm depressed, he'll just hate how I have become. Crap, he must know about me stabbing Phoenix. I really don't want to face him right now. How can he even say we're best friends? Surely he must have found someone he'd rather be with back at the space center,' Apollo thought as he stared blankly at Clay.

"Apollo, I know about your depression, Trucy has told me everything," Clay walked towards Apollo and placed his hand firmly on Apollo's shoulder, looking Apollo right in the eyes. "I'm here for you, man. Apollo Justice is fine, remember?"

"I... I'm fine. Apollo Justice... is fine," Apollo struggled to say, remembering just how easily he used to say it, remembering the time he comforted Clay when they were young. He leant forwards and rested his head on Clay's shoulder. Tears began to drip down his face.

Clay patted Apollo on the back. "You're fine, Apollo. Never forget that."

He so desperately wanted to believe that he was fine because he knew he could trust Clay. 'If Clay says I'm fine, maybe I am,' Apollo told himself still not understanding how Clay could be so supportive and not hate him.

Apollo awkwardly nodded his head while it was still resting on Clay's shoulder. "I'm fine," Apollo said with slightly more confidence. He lifted his head from Clay's shoulder. "Apollo Justice is fine." Apollo smiled slightly.

Phoenix and Trucy felt like they were intruding, and so they decided to give Clay and Apollo some time alone together.

"Did you see that, Daddy? Polly smiled!" She looked extremely please with herself for inviting Clay over.

"Great job getting Clay here, Trucy," Phoenix praised his daughter. "Apollo really needs as many friends as possible right now."

Clay encouraged Apollo to tell himself that he's fine, just as Apollo had told him when they were young. Apollo was soon smiling more than he had in a long time. Trucy and Phoenix could hear Apollo from the other room shouting "I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!" They were happy to hear that he was getting his voice back.

"You know, you look kinda funny without those spikes of yours," Clay joked, "It's strange, we've been friends since we were young, yet this is the first I've seen you with your hair like this."

Apollo was beginning to think that his hair will never be acceptable no matter what he does with it, but somehow it didn't bother him. He was filled with too much happiness from being with his best friend that he couldn't feel sad.

With support from his best friend, as the weeks passed, Apollo gradually became happier, louder, and more confident. Eventually, Apollo was able to fully recover from his depression. He knew he was fine just the way he was and learnt to trust his friends more. Things hadn't gone back to the way there were before, but had improved. After retaking the bar, he was able to claim back his badge, becoming a lawyer again. Once again the sound of his Chords of Steel resounded throughout the courts and everyone could hear just how fine he was.

**A/N: Well that's the end! I just had to give it a happy ending. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. **


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